Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Two Easy Hostess or Teacher Gifts

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up soon I wanted to try a couple of easy gifts that could be used for hostess gifts or teacher presents. Here's what I came up with...

Gardner's Hand Scrub

And Miniature Pumpkin Spice Bread loaves.

The loaves are just a doubled batch of our favorite pumpkin spice bread, wrapped with a leaf from our yard. (Lindsey, thanks for the idea!)

OK, back to the Gardner's Hand Scrub. Here's what you'll need to make four 8 oz jars:

Two small pumice stones (approx. 5x1 inch)

1 and 1/2 bars of grated soap (I used Dove, but you can use any smell you like)

1 cup Borax (you can find this with the laundry detergent at your favorite store)

Four 8 oz. canning jars

1/2 cup water (optional)

First, grate your bars of soap.Then cut the tie off of your pumice stones.Throw the two stones into a thick ziplock bag and smash them into a fine powder using a hammer...

and an excited toddler!

The next step isn't really that necessary, but I wanted to be sure there weren't any large pieces of pumice stone left, so I sifted it and then repounded the larger bits. Did you know that pumice stones are actually hardened frothy lava? Yep, that one was free!

Mix the grated soap, pumice stone powder and borax. If you would like a dry mix, you can put it into your containers right now. If you prefer a more wet mix (I did) then add 1/2 cup of water.

Here's a label if you'd like it. (Right click on the image below and save to your computer then open it in a word processing program, resize and print.)

I LOVE this idea because it's still more personal than, say, giving store bought bath products, but it's also appropriate for ALL the ladies that try to watch their waisteline around the holidays. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!

I just love this idea; thanks so much for putting this tutorial together. I'm planning to make a batch for a gardener friend for his birthday in a couple of weeks. Would you have any suggestions of herbs to add to make it guy-friendly? Thanks again!

Hi again Sarah, I have an update for you. It's the middle of winter here, so we've got nothing but snow in the garden, so I decided against using any herbs. My husband and I just made a batch of this Gardener's Hand Scrub, and we used Irish Spring soap, which is just perfect for this. It was really nice for us to work on a handmade project together. Love the labels, too!!! Thanks again and God bless you!

I love to collect ideas, and I love the simple things that make life so much fun! It gives me pleasure to help those around me tap into their creative sides to make something beautiful or discover their passions. I am not talented on my own. I was created in the image of a creative God and He has graciously given me every ounce of inspiration. My blog is a resource to bring Him glory. ~John 15:5~